Recommendations

Hello! Shalom! Aloha! Mabuhay!
If this is your first visit to Modern Apocrypha, I have only two recommendations for continuing on with minimal confusion:

1) Please begin with the first introductory post (found HERE) and work your way forward. Almost all the posts on this blog flow chronologically and will make more sense with the background and context of previous ones. Jumping in anywhere might be disorienting.

2) Please read along in the texts posted off to the right. I try not to summarize too much in the commentary and discussion, and being at least somewhat familiar with what we're discussing or I'm commenting on will be most beneficial and edifying for all involved. Plus, going along with the theme of this blog, any hidden truths to be brought to light will be found within the text itself and not necessarily within my ramblings.
Okay, fine, three recommendations:3) Please read with an open heart, mind, and spirit. See what truths you can find in these works--ones which speak to you. Namaste : )

Sunday, June 5, 2016

ANG AKLATAN - SURAN 10 - FILIPINO FUTURE

Suran 10 comprises a vision of the future of Suran's descendants. The interpretation of the various segments of the vision seems pretty self-evident, but there hasn't been any confirmation from Elisha regarding it. What is written here are my opinion and conclusions.

The first segment describes events surrounding Ferdinand Magellan's (a white-skinned man "from a far away land") 1521 arrival in the Philippines on his voyage to circumnavigate the earth. Within a month, he has allied with several datu (chiefs of the Visayas and Mindanao regions) and converted them to Catholicism. However, Lapu-Lapu ("descendant... of Ahkman"), datu of Mactan island off of Cebu, who is not on the best of terms with the other datu, rejects conversion and the authority of the other datu, thus becoming a target of military attack in what is known as the Battle of Mactan. The battle is a complete failure for the superior Spanish weaponry and armor, and Magellan and several of his crew are killed. (You can check out the details HERE.)

However, as the text states, "this victory [is] not enough to stay the power" of Spain, which will rule the Philippines (named after Philip II of Spain) for the next 350 years (though not peacefully--see HERE, for example). Suran sees that the Spanish will "destroy much of the history of [his] people," which echoes the destruction of records and artifacts by Spanish conquistadors all throughout the Americas.

In 1898, conflict between Spain and the United States ("land of freedom") in the Caribbean escalated into the Spanish-American War, which spilled over into the Philippines. The US navy destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay and took Manila. However, the US didn't recognize the Philippines declaration of independence on 12 June 1898, and "many [rose] up against these new conquerors" in a three-year--and much more costly--Philippine-American War. The result is the Philippines becoming a US territory, then a commonwealth in 1934, and finally gaining independence in 1946.

Now, I'm not a scholar of modern Filipino history, and these last two segments are kind of tricky. Again, what follows is my current understanding of which historical facts fit the textual evidence. I think the next segment describes the Marcos regime from 1965-1986. After being elected then declaring martial law, Ferdinand Marcos "gather[ed] the treasures of [the] people" through kleptocracy and "deliver[ed] them to a woman," his wife, Imelda. Ferdinand accumulated over $10 billion during his presidency, while earning an annual salary equivalent to $13,500. I also remember hearing about Imelda's extravagant lifestyle on TV and in the news when I was younger. She, in turn, "deliver[ed] them up unto her children," who have become powerful politicians and businessmen themselves.

This last one is the most vague and difficult for me, but I think it might depict the presidency of Joseph Estrada. He was elected in 1998 due to overwhelming support from poor Filipinos. The text says "he shall gain much power through his armies." This could mean his army of poor supporters, but it might also reference his popular military opposition and eventual defeat of militant Islamic terrorists. Also, in 2001, Estrada was the first Filipino president to face impeachment due to allegations of corruption. But the text says he is "cast down" because of "many lies... spread by his enemies" and "people who are yellow." While the protests and trials that caused Estrada to leave office are viewed in a generally positive light, the whole situation was not beyond criticism and suspicion. The protests were coordinated by political, business, military, and church elites displeased with Estrada's policies; there were questions surrounding the constitutionality and impartiality of the trials; etc. The mention of "yellow" participants, seems to insinuate that other interested Asian parties (i.e., Chinese) were involved, as well. Finally, Suran sees that his people will remain subjugated until they unite and "cast out the evil among them."